Notre Dame Cathedral

Started on October 7 1877 and completed in 1880, the Notre Dame Cathedral with picturesque surrounding settings becomes a peaceful symbol of this dynamic city.

Overview of Notre Dame Cathedral

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral

With the aim of imitating Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the construction of Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral started on October 7, 1877 and completed in 1880, based on the design of architect J. Bourad. The cathedral was built in neo-Romanesque style with blended Gothic elements. After nearly 140 years of struggling with wind sun time, the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral is the silent witness of life in this city that is both peaceful and dynamic.

The foundation of the cathedral is made of stone and the walls were built with red bricks produced locally in the 19th century. Besides, the wall is decorated by 56 gorgous glazed doors expressing characters, events in prayer-book, 31 round rose pictures, 25 cow-eye windows made from glass with many beautiful colors which shine like jewels in sun time.

The front of the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is a large park with the peaceful mother statue which was made by G. Ciocchetti in 1959. During October 2005, the statue was reported to have shed tears, attracting thousands of people and forcing authorities to stop traffic around the Cathedral. On weekend mornings, hundreds of pigeons encircle the statue to get food from kind-hearted people. The best time to visit is during Sunday at 9:30AM.

The Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral is open for tourists every day and rituals are performed several times on Sundays in both English and Vietnamese. If you want to feel the rhythm of Ho Chi Minh City, all you need to do is to sit on the pavement, sipping a coffee in front of Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral. It is also one of the most interesting things to do in Ho Chi Minh City.